Historical Association of Lewiston debuts audio walking tour

The Historical
Association of Lewiston has unveiled its first ever, free-of-charge,
audio tour of Lewiston, which includes some of the village's most
historic stories.

HAL received a
grant from the East Hill Foundation for revamping the exhibits in
the Lewiston Museum. Part of that project included audio tour wands,
which are hand-held devices that deliver pre-recorded explanations of
exhibits. The wands are to be used with a walking tour map of
Lewiston. The historical sites each have a number. When plugged into
the wand, the numbers trigger a recording.

"People always do
have questions about the places that they're looking at," said HAL
Executive Director and Curator Pam Hauth.

The updated walking
map includes snippets of the history of Lewiston's most historic
buildings, homes and sites.

"We've had this
walking tour map for a while now, so this is an enhancement to it,"
said HAL Vice President Leandra Collesano.

Using the audio
tour wands with the map will provide the listener more in-depth
information about the rich history residents enjoy in Lewiston.
History buffs will learn about Lewiston's role in the Underground
Railroad, about famous (and infamous) personalities in Lewiston's
past, and why Lewiston is where it is. There is no set path for the
wands; participants can visit the historic sites in whichever order
they prefer.

"I think it's an
added feature for tourists that come here, but I also think it's
exciting for people who actually live here and may not know about the
rich history," Collesano said. "There are buildings and places
they go by maybe every day and don't know the wealth of history
that's occurred, whether it's the building itself or an event or a
famous person that may have been there. I think's it's going to open
some eyes."

"And it's a fun
way to learn about it, too," Hauth said.

"I just think
this brings us up to speed with being a contender for other cool
places to visit," said HAL publicist Lisa Ohanessian.

There are a total
of 10 wands available. Those interested in taking the enhanced
walking tour of Lewiston can borrow the wands at the Lewiston Museum,
469 Plain St., and at the Lewiston Welcome Center, 895 Center St.,
during operating hours.

Use of the wands is
free, however, each borrower must leave a driver's license until his
or her wand is returned.

Donations are
gratefully accepted.

For more
information, or for hours of operation, call the Lewiston Museum at
716-754-4214 or the Lewiston Welcome Center at 716-754-7030.